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Thanks for joining me for another Nine Favorite Things post.

Lemon Coconut Naked Cake with Whipped Vanilla Buttercream | halfbakedharvest.com #coconutcake #springrecipes #easter #cake #layercake

{lemon coconut naked cake}

Happiest Mother’s Day to all the moms in the world out there! Whether you’re celebrating the day with family, or sending mom wishes from afar, I hope everyone takes time to let their mom know how much they are loved and appreciated! I baked up my mom’s favorite French toast on Friday as a pre-Mother’s Day treat for my mom and I to share. Today I have a small (but fun!) gift to share with her. It’s absolutely nothing extravagant, but something I know she’ll love. What are you all doing for you mom today? Still in need of some dinner ideas? Check out my Mother’s Day Menu here.

This past week was all over the place with email, cooking, photographing…scrambling. But I worked a lot on an upcoming project I’ll be doing in LA next week. It’s currently what I am looking forward to most! I’ll be in LA for a good chunk of time, so you guys have to let me know your favorite farmers markets and places eat. I’ve yet to visit the Santa Monica Farmers Market, so that’s a must this trip. Mostly, I just really want to buy all the LA flowers because I am obsessed. Oh, and Sqirl, because apparently I need to try their house made jams. Have any of you been?

At any rate, I’m very excited for all that’s coming up in the next few months and can’t wait to share more. But first, we have another crazy week ahead. I’ll be finishing up the week with a small (but so fun) event in Denver on Thursday that I can’t wait for! So all in all, I would say all good things! AND as we get closer and closer to the end of May, our weather is (slowly) improving. The landscape is (slowly) turning green.

About time.

Coming up this week, I’ll be sharing a new favorite pizza, a fun sandwich, an instant pot recipe that’s beyond perfect for summer, a sweet dish that’s filled with fresh berries, and more!

Lastly, if you missed anything from the past week, be sure to sign up for our newsletter here. Hope you’re all having the best weekend, and enjoy this Sunday’s Favorites!

1. Inspiring Me This Week. 

My mom!

To be honest, she’s always inspiring me. And most importantly always encouraging me to live my happiest life…and not stress so much. She’s my number one everything and has been my whole life. With each and every year she teaches me many new life lessons, both little and big, but this year there are two things that have really stuck out.

1. Time. Take time to for yourself, time to enjoy family, and time for friends. I am going to be honest, I am currently failing at this miserably. BUT it’s something she subtly reminds me to work towards every single day. Even though the balance is way lopsided at the moment, I know how important this is, and eventually she’ll get me to listen…because it takes time for me to actually listen. I’m realizing I might be a teensy bit stubborn. All that said, she has me taking an entire week off in July for a family vacation to Costa Rica, you see, I do listen…especially when tropical weather and palm trees are involved.

2. Just ASK. This one is an ongoing life lesson that she instilled in me at a pretty young age. I’ve put it to really good use this year. I am so grateful she’s taught me to never be afraid to just ask for what I want. Sure, I sometimes feel completely out of place asking for certain things at times. Somehow she taught me to push those thoughts aside and just ASK, because you never truly know until you do.

These are just two of the many, many things my mom has taught me this year, but like I said, she’s pretty much my everything. My mom, my therapist, my best friend, my business partner, the person I turn to for advice, and the women I look up to most. I really don’t know what I would do without her. She’s one of a kind…in so many ways!

2. Rebecca Minkoff on Why the Idea of Work Life Balance is Complete and Total BS. 

If you have 5 minutes and need a Sunday smile, watch this video with Rebecca Minkoff. I kind of loved it.

3. My Favorite BBQ Friendly Dinnerware and Serveware…

4. Questions of The Week: 

q: do you have any favorite rhubarb recipes?
a: I can almost never find rhubarb where I live, so I don’t have many. But when I can find it, I’ll either make this Rhubarb Passion Margarita, this Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Honey Butter Biscuits, or these over the top Glazed Peanut Butter and Jelly Doughnuts (with Rhubarb Jelly).

q: what’s your favorite movie?
a: for sure the Harry Potter series. I am the dork that’s loved both the books and the movies since I was 12.

q: will you come out with your own line of dishes/cookware?! you have the best style!
a: this is on my list of things I’d really love to do. nothing in the works yet, but like I said, I would LOVE to have a dishware line someday. would you buy it?

q: top 3 things you cook with?
a: not including olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh herbs, and lemon. Honestly…probably cheese, and more often than not, burrata cheese. I need a burrata cheese sponsor.

5. Newest Videos: 

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies…why have a small cookie when you can have a GIANT cookie, you know?!

Spicy Mango Margarita…one of my favorite HBH cocktails to date.

6. Random Acts of Kindness.

Can I just say that random acts of kindness are something we should all make an effort to do each and every single day. This is my new goal. Even if it’s as simple as sending a friend a text saying “you looked so cute today, loved your outfit!”. Sometimes something as simple as that can really turn someone’s day right around. I say this because I know from experience. I was lucky enough to have my dad’s very sweet cousin, Ethel, shoot me the nicest text out of nowhere on Tuesday night. And while it didn’t fully turn the day around, it made it 100x better. I was so thankful for the sweet text.

Therefore, I thought I would encourage you all to give this a try. Look to the person sitting next to you and give them a compliment. Or maybe send a friend a quick uplifting text! Trust me, it feels good to make other people feel good. This is something I’m really going to try to incorporate into my everyday life.

A few ways to show random acts of kindness…

  1. bake these muffins for everyone in the office on Monday.
  2. surprise someone you love with a bouquet of fresh flowers.
  3. buy yourself (or a friend) a candle from a company that gives back like The Little Market.
  4. clean the kitchen and cook dinner for your significant other or your roommate.

7. A Few Links I Am Loving…

cute new swimwear brands you need to know…because summer is coming.

the Aperol Spritz is not a good drink…how do you feel about this? Really though?

hands down the best baking cookbooks…therefore you obviously need them.

Kris Jenner on motherhood, self-care, and being a boss…if you are a Kardashian fan.

your alignment affects a whole lot more than your posture…pull those shoulders back.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth gave the Met a couples moment for the history books…a photo diary.

an easy pedicure routine for sandal season…my feet need this.

how to deal with travel anxiety…100% need to study this myself.

15 unique ways to celebrate mother’s day…the cutest ideas.

every podcast i’m listening to right now…loved everything on this list.

designer spotlight on m.elle design…could not love m.elle design more. the prettiest interiors.

Shay Mitchell’s under $85 travel essentials…need them all. please.

life on the farm in Ojai, California…my ideal life.

12 questions to ask someone before they become your roommate…read, read, read if you need a roommate.

how to make sourdough bread…need to make.

this is the best restaurant in America…have you been? clearly I need to go.

8. What I am buying from the Anthropologie Mother’s Day Sale…

9. This Week’s Dinners:

Antipasto Pasta Salad with Herby Parmesan Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvet.com #pasta #easyrecipes #pastasalad #mothersday

Monday: antipasto pasta salad with herby parmesan vinaigrette

Southwest Mango, Kale, and Quinoa Chopped Salad | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Tuesday: southwest mango, kale, and quinoa chopped salad

Grilled Chili Honey Lime Chicken and Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Salsa | halfbakedharvest.com #easyrecipes #chicken #summergrilling

Wednesday: grilled chili honey lime chicken and sweet potatoes with avocado salsa

Thursday: savory herb butter dutch baby

Grilled Pesto Zucchini Stuffed with Tomatoes and Orzo | halfbakedharvest.com #grilling #summer #easyrecipes

Friday: grilled pesto zucchini stuffed with tomatoes and orzo

Check out all the past Favorites posts here.

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